Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Hush harbor: Praying in secret | by Evans, Freddi Williams

Simmy is both excited and nervous for his job as Scout during the community meeting. Simmy is excited because this means the elders trust him, but he is nervous because slaves are not supposed to gather and sing together. Simmy must be very careful and listen for the master during the meeting.

Keywords: african american, anger, anticipation, author's note, bravery, cabin, closeness, communication, cooking, creativity, creek, critical thinking, culture, dancing, death, faith, family, folktale, forest, friendship, hard work, hearing, hope, horse, listening, missing, multicultural, music, nonverbal communication, prayer, relief, religion, rhythm, river, running away, safety, secrets, slavery, song, spiritual, storytelling, woods, worry

Roy makes a car: Based on a story collected by Zora Neale Hurston | by Lyons, Mary

Roy is known around town as the best mechanic in Florida. Roy makes it his mission to create a car that will be accident proof. No one in the town believes him, but Roy proves them wrong time and time again. Roy's creativity and perseverance leads to the making of the best cars in the area.

Keywords: african american, author's note, car, competition, creativity, feelings, folktale, goal setting, god, loneliness, luck, machines, money, multicultural, neighbors, persistence, prejudice, self esteem, storytelling, tools

Beep beep, vroom vroom! | by Murphy, Stuart J.

Molly wants to play with her big brother's brightly colored toy cars just like him. But her family thinks she is too little to share Kevin's cars and besides, he likes to keep them in a special order. Each family member catches Molly playing with Kevin's cars and they help her put them back the way Kevin likes them. In the end, Molly gets a surprise of her own!

Keywords: animals, author's note, birthday, car, colors, disobedience, dog, family, fun, helping, parents, playing, sequence, siblings, sizes, sounds, transportation

The surprise garden | by Hall, Zoe

Three children eagerly wait to discover what marvelous plants will grow from the seeds they sowed.

Keywords: animals, author's note, bee, birds, bluejay, butterfly, celebration, colors, dog, family, flowers, food, garden, health, helping, insects, ladybug, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, party, pets, plants, rabbit, seasons, siblings, summer, sun, surprises, teamwork, verbal communication, water

Taking asthma to school | by Gosselin, Kim

Justin has asthma so he explains a day in his life to his classmates. Justin takes special medicine to help him breathe. But he is like any other child his age: he likes to play with his friends, go outside at recess, and take part in gym class just like any other kid.

Keywords: acceptance, allergies, asthma, author's note, awareness, differences, diseases, exercise, health, medicine, nonverbal communication, nurse, school, self esteem, understanding, verbal communication

Heroes | by Mochizuki, Ken

Donnie is always the bad guy when he plays war with his friends. They think because Donnie is Japanese American that he should be the enemy. When his father and uncle take a trip to school, they prove they can be heroes too.

The raft | by LaMarche, Jim

When a boy visits his grandmother for the summer, he finds adventure along the river. By making a raft, the boy is able to interact with the nature around him. He especially enjoys drawing the animals and fishing.

Keywords: animals, art, author's note, bear, birds, cabin, crane, deer, dragonfly, exercise, family, fish, fishing, fog, fox, grandparents, insects, nature, rabbit, raccoon, recreation, river, seal, self esteem, summer, swimming, vacation

Just enough is plenty: A hanukkah tale | by Goldin, Barbara Diamond

It is almost time for Hanukkah. Malka's family invites a peddler for dinner. They are surprised when they wake up in the morning and find that the peddler has left behind wonderful gifts.

Keywords: author's note, dancing, exercise, family, food, hanukkah, helping, holidays, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, polish, poverty, presents, song

Leah's pony | by Friedrich, Elizabeth

One summer, Leah's father gives her a pony which she grows to love dearly. When told the devastating news that her family is running out of money, Leah has to decide what she will sacrifice to help.

Keywords: animals, author's note, conflict resolution, decision making, family, farm, feelings, money, neighbors, pony, poverty, unselfish

Cakes and miracles: A purim tale | by Goldin, Barbara Diamond

Hershel is a blind boy who loves to play outside and catch frogs in the river. His mother is always angry when he comes home covered with mud. One day Hershel has a dream that he can see. After that, he is able to help his mom make three-cornered fat cakes and cookies to sell at the market so they can earn money.

Keywords: amphibians, angel, author's note, blindness, bodies of water, celebration, dancing, dreams, exercise, food, frog, handicap, holidays, Jewish, multicultural, nutrition, play, poverty, recipe, river, song, traditions

Popcorn at the palace | by McCully, Emily Arnold

Based on real events, Maisie Ferris, a girl from the mid-1800s, and her family don't really fit in with their neighbors in the small town of Galesburg, Illinois with their new ideas. They take one of their American creations, popcorn, to England and impress everyone with their corn that turns to snow.

Keywords: american, animals, assertiveness, author's note, boat, carriage, cow, creativity, dolls, english, family, farm, food, garden, history, horse, imagination, multicultural, neighbors, nutrition, pioneers, royalty, self esteem, snow, spiritual, transportation, travel

Growing colors | by McMillan, Bruce

Fruits and vegetables illustrate a rainbow of colors.

Keywords: author's note, colors, food, garden, nutrition, photograph, plants

No dinner!The story of the old woman and the pumpkin | by Souhami, Jessica

An old woman is on her way to her granddaughter's house for dinner, but meets many animals on her way. In order to escape the animals, she promises to come back all fat and fed. The animals are outwitted when the old woman is disguised as a pumpkin.

Keywords: adventures, aging, animals, author's note, bear, body image, bravery, critical thinking, deception, decision making, fable, family, food, forest, goal setting, habitat, heroism, hunting, intelligence, nature, nonverbal communication, nutrition, overeating, pretend, protection, relief, sly, sounds, tiger, verbal communication, wolf

Turtle splash! Countdown at the pond | by Falwell, Cathyrn

Ten turtles rest on a log. Startled by various sounds, they jump in one-by-one from around the pond then rest in the water for the night.

Keywords: alliteration, amphibians, animals, author's note, birds, bodies of water, butterfly, counting, day, deer, duck, frog, insects, mosquito, nature, night, noise, numbers, rabbit, reptiles, rhyme, sequence, sounds, squirrel, turtle

The magic moonberry jump ropes | by Hru, Dakari

April and Erica love to Double Dutch, but they have no friends to Double Dutch with. When their Uncle Zambezi returns from a trip to Tanzania, he gives the girls a jump rope that will grant wishes because it is made from magic moonberries. The girls Double Dutch and wish for two new friends to arrive. Suddenly, a moving van pulls up, and a family with a boy and girl moves in across the street.

Keywords: african american, author's note, bicycle, biking, colors, exercise, family, friendship, jumping, karate, language, multicultural, neighbors, plants, play, rhyme, siblings, skating, wish

Won ton: A cat tale told in Haiku | by Wardlaw, Lee

A cat tells his story through a collection of Haiku poems. Starting from when he lived in a lonely cage at the shelter, the cat shares his adventures of traveling to a new place and finding a new home.

Keywords: author's note, body parts, cat, comparisons, dog, flea, fly, home, insects, pets, poetry, shelter

The chief's blanket | by Chanin, Michael

After the rain, Flower longs for a day when she will see the great chief. When she has to make a blanket for him, she doubts her weaving skills. With her grandmother's love and encouragement, Flower makes the blanket. Will the chief ever receive such a gift?

Keywords: anger, animals, author's note, canyon, clouds, colors, confidence, decision making, excitement, family, feelings, flowers, garden, giving, goal setting, grandparents, happiness, horse, illness, multicultural, native american, nature, plants, sadness, spiritual

Moonstick: The seasons of the sioux | by Bunting, Eve

A young Sioux is taught the way of life by his father. The young boy is too young to do many things, but one day he will be able to do what he is taught. When the seasons change, he makes another notch in his moonstick.

Keywords: author's note, change, family, growing up, learning, moon, multicultural, native american, parents, poetry, rhyme, seasons, self esteem, spring, summer, traditions, verbal communication, winter

Casey jones's fireman: The story of sim webb | by Farmer, Nancy

Sim Webb is finally getting his chance to work on a train for the famous Casey Jones. Casey is putting a brand new whistle on his train, but Casey knows it's a bad idea. He knows that something bad is about to happen.

Keywords: accidents, accomplishment, african american, ambition, angel, argument, assertiveness, author's note, bias, bravery, courage, critical thinking, decision making, discrimination, fable, fire, heroism, multicultural, plants, prejudice, rescue, sounds, spiritual, tobacco, train, transportation

The secret of the stones | by San Souci, Robert D.

John and Clara work very hard all day, but they have no children to love. One night Clara finds two little white stones and brings them home with her. When they came home the next night all of the chores had been done, and John and Clara must find out who their helpers are and how to help them!

Keywords: african american, animals, author's note, bones, cabin, chicken, conflict resolution, cow, decision making, escape, farm, folktale, food, hard work, magic, multicultural, nutrition, orphan, poverty, rocks, song, stream, verbal communication

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